Getting closer! Hayden Panettiere and boyfriend Brian Hickerson stuck together during a “lively” brunch with friends.
The budding couple stepped out at Magic Hour Rooftop Bar and Lounge at Moxy Times Square in New York on Sunday, September 9. “They were very affectionate and sat next to each other the entire time,” an eyewitness tells Us Weekly exclusively. “When their two friends went exploring the space, they stayed behind and remained close to each other talking and kissing.”
The group dined on the eatery’s Super Stack Pancakes topped with cotton candy. They finished off their meal with a huge cocktail served out of a disco ball.
A source revealed to Us in August that the 29-year-old Nashville actress had been dating Hickerson “for a couple of months,” adding, “They both party together and are having fun.” Rumors of a romance between the two began to circulate when they were spotted holding hands after dining at Craig’s in West Hollywood on August 2.
One day later, reports surfaced that Panettiere and her fiancé, Wladimir Klitschko, had broken up after nine years together. The exes initially split in 2011 but reconciled two years later, getting engaged and welcoming daughter Kaya, now 3.
The Heroes alum and Hickerson were also seen at an L.A. screening of Breaking & Exiting on August 15. “She seemed very happy and in great spirits and they were having [a] fun night together,” an insider told Us at the time.
The pair later went to HYDE Sunset, where the source noted: “They were with a group, but seemed cute together.”
With reporting by Travis Cronin
